20:45, 19 November 2025

Netizens were outraged by Arashukov's attempt to buy comfort in the penal colony.

The attempt by former senator Rauf Arashukov, who was given a life sentence, to obtain favorable conditions in a penal colony through payment was reminiscent of how a convicted member of the Tsapkov gang served his sentence in a penal colony with caviar and crabs. The court's refusal to question the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Orenburg Region raised doubts among online users.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in October 2024, it became known that former senator from Karachay-Cherkessia Rauf Arashukov was accused of transferring three million rubles to employees of the "Black Dolphin" penal colony in exchange for creating favorable conditions for him while serving his sentence. Arashukov himself called the bribery case a provocation before the hearing of his appeal against the verdict in the murder and criminal organization case. Rauf Arashukov asked the court to question the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Orenburg Region, but his request was denied. The court granted Arashukov's requests to question prison staff and convicts.

On December 27, 2022, the Moscow City Court sentenced Rauf Arashukov and his father, Raul Arashukov, to life imprisonment. The appellate and cassation courts upheld the sentence. What is known about the Arashukov clan can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Main Thing About the Arashukov Case".

Commentators were outraged by Rauf Arashukov's attempt to buy himself more favorable conditions in the penal colony.

On the website Orenday.ru, which covers the ongoing bribery trial against Rauf Arashukov in the Orenburg region, a publication about the latest hearing, at which the court refused to summon the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Orenburg region for questioning, received 9 comments.

"They refused. There's no smoke without fire," opined Grigory Voronov.

"And how are the other rich people doing? The Tsapkis are also in VIP rooms." "....> crabs (ate), the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service there didn't know anything either," commented Raul from Mordovia.

In July 2019, the prosecutor's office announced a criminal case against the head of a penal colony in the Amur Region and his deputy, who were accused of abuse of power for creating special conditions for Vyacheslav Tsepovyaz, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of 12 people in the village of Kushchevskaya in Krasnodar Krai by the Tsapkov gang. This occurred after a series of photos and videos from the colony where Tsepovyaz was serving his sentence were published on social media and in the media. In photographs released in November 2018, Tsepovyaz poses in prison garb at a barbecue grill with shashlik, red caviar, and crabs on the table, holding a mobile phone. The Federal Penitentiary Service for the Amur Region acknowledged the authenticity of these photographs, stating that they were taken in 2015. Later, in December 2018, photographs were published of Vyacheslav Tsepovyaz in a hockey uniform at festively set tables. The "Caucasian Knot" publishes information about the Tsapkov case on its thematic page "Kushchevskaya Massacre." The "Caucasian Knot" also prepared a report, "The Tsapkov Gang Case".

A post on the Zen page "KP-North Caucasus," which has 42,600 subscribers, had garnered 9,237 views and 34 comments by 8:45 PM Moscow time.

"What, they refused? Are they afraid of the truth?" - asked user T.

"Let them sit quietly. They stole gas from all over the Caucasus, and now they're trying to get away with it with fancy stuff. They just wanted comfort," said Nadezhda Skuratova indignantly.

"A member of the Federation Council and a life sentence. What could have gone wrong?" asked Chebykina, adding emojis.

As a reminder, in October 2024, a request for help addressed to Ramzan Kadyrov was posted on Rauf Arashukov's social media page. . This appeal is motivated by a desire to gain support and achieve a mitigated sentence, analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" explained.

Previously, Caucasus scholars indicated that the collapse of the Arashukov clan was the work of people holding a position significantly higher than Ramzan Kadyrov, with whom Rauf Arashukov was friends. The Arashukov clan emerged as part of a special services project, and its downfall, they believe, was solely due to criminal prosecution.

According to investigators, Raul Arashukov instructed his son to organize the murders of Aslan Zhukov, deputy chairman of the Adyghe-Khase movement, and Fral Shebzukhov, advisor to the head of Karachay-Cherkessia. Rauf Arashukov, in turn, ordered high-ranking security officials not to investigate Zhukov's murder. More details about the murders Rauf Arashukov is accused of organizing can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "High-profile Murders in Karachay-Cherkessia".

On October 30, 2024, the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the Moscow City Court's sentence of life imprisonment for Rauf Arashukov and his father, Raul Arashukov.

The "Caucasian Knot" published biographical profiles of Rauf Arashukov and his father Raul Arashukov. News about the high-profile investigation is collected on the "Caucasian Knot" thematic page "Opala Arashukovyh".

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Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/417333